Centering device for container caps



Dec. 2, 1941. D M, GRAY ET AL 2,264,792

CENTERING DEVICE FOR CONTAINER CAPS Filed April 10, 1939 gain?? jwucnh wfianiel, M Gray afois'ejfliz jauman Gator/wen Patented Dec. 2, 1941CENTERING DEVICE FOR CONTAINER CAPS Daniel M. Gray and Joseph Bauman,Wheeling,

W. Va., assignors to Hazel-Atlas Glass Company, Wheeling, W. Va.

Virginia a corporation of West Application April '10, 1939, Serial No.267,115

4 Claims. (Cl. 215-44) The invention relates to means for centeringmetal caps on glass containers, and particularly to means for centeringsmalllug caps which are provided with two lugs for locking the caps onthe containers.

Metal lug caps are commonly used for sealing glass containers. In thelarger sizes of these caps there are usually three or four of these lugsspaced equidistantly about the lower edge of the cap skirt, and ofcourse there are an equal number. of inclined glass lugs on the neck ofthe container. These inclined lugs are called thread lugs, and when acap is placed on a container the lugs pass downwardly through the spaceprovided between the thread lugs. The cap is then rotated and theengagement of the cap lugs under the glass thread lugs causes the cap tobe pulled down into sealing relation with the mouth of the container.

In the use of the larger sizes of lug caps, three of four lugs areemployed, and therefore the caps are necessarily centered on the neck ofthe container. But in the smaller sizes of caps only two lugs areemployed, and with two lugs it is possie ble for'the cap to move offcenter, and this frequently happens.

The object of the present invention is to prevent the above-mentionedundesirable condition by the provision of means which will make itimpossible for two-lug metal caps, particularly those having an inturnedskirt portion between the cap lugs, from moving 01f center. I

The invention will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art,from the following detailed description, when taken in connection withthe accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a plan view of a glass container provided with the centeringmeans of the present invention- Figure 2 is a side elevational viewthereof.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a cap having two lugs.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view of the twolug cap in sealingposition on a glass container embodying the novel centering means.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the container, with the cap thereonbeing shown in vertical section; and

Figure 6 is a side elevational view of a slightly modified form of theinvention.

Referring to the drawing in more detail, numeral I indicates a metal caphaving a top 2, and a depending skirt or wall 3. A liner 4, of anysuitable material may be arranged inside of lugs, of which there aretwo, and numeral 6 refers to an incurled bead which is formed byincurling the lower portion of the wall or skirt between the lugs.

It is to be understood that the invention is in no mannerlimited to thespecific form of lug cap narrow necks, for as mentioned hereinbefore it'is the smaller sizes of lug caps which have only two lugs.

The container neck 8 is formed with a glass finish which locks the capin sealing relation on the container, and serves to properly center itthereon and prevent it from being moved to any ofi-center position. Thisnovel glass finish will now be described.

Numeral 9 refers to the glass thread lugs, of which there are two. Theseglass thread lugs may be of any usual form, and of course theyare'inclined downwardly, so that as the cap is rotated the two cap lugs5 engaging under the two thread lugs cause the cap to be moved downthecap, if desired. Numeral. 5 refers to the cap wardly into sealingrelation with the mouth of the container. If preferred, the inclinedthread portion 9 may be followed by a horizontal thread portion 9, asshown in Figure 6, so that the cap lugs can ride onto the horizontalportion after the cap has been drawn downwardly to sealing position.

Numeral Ill refers to glass centering lugs, of which there are two.These centering lugs are oppositely disposed, and the leading ends ofthe centering lugs start at a point adjacent the lower ends of thethread lugs, or adjacent the ends of the horizontal portions of thethread lugs, if horizontal portions are employed. It is to beparticularly noted that the centering lugs are at a lower level than thethread lugs. The leading ends of the centering lugs are preferablyabrupt, as indicated by numeral l l, toform stops for the cap lugs.

Below the glass finish just described, there is usually provided theordinary glass bead [2.

In operation, the two-lug cap is placed on the neck of the bottle, andis then rotated. The cap lugs 5 engaging under the thread lugs 9, causethe cap to be moved downwardly to sealing position as the cap lugs ridedown the threads.

The rotation of the cap to sealing position will be positively stoppedby the cap lugs engaging the leading ends ll of the centering lugs II],but of course rotation of the cap may be stopped before the cap lugsreach the leading ends of the centering lugs, due to the resistance tofurther turning.

While the cap is being rotated and is moving downwardly to sealingposition, the incurled bead 6 of the cap is riding around the operativefaces of the centering lugs l0, either in contact therewith or closelyadjacent thereto. Thus the cap necessarily assumes a properly centeredposition on the container neck. And of course the cap cannot thereafterassume any off-center position, for the incurled bead remains in contactwith, or closely adjacent to, the centering lugs, and thereby preventingthe cap from 01icentering or swinging off side to the right or left(Figs. 4 and 5), and the two diametrically opposed cap lugs 5 preventthe cap from being moved ofi-center in other directions.

There is thus provided a glass finish which will assure the propercentering of lug caps having an incurled bead and only two lugs. Whilewe have described the cap as having an incurled bead which cooperateswith the glass centering lugs, yet obviously the invention is equallywell adaptable to use with two-lug caps in which the incurled beadbetween the lugs is flattened, or to caps in which the metal is merelyturned or bent upwardly between the lugs. And as also mentionedhereinbefore, the cap lugs may be of any desired form or construction,

Having fully described the invention, what we claim is:

1. In combination, a glass container having a narrow neck, and a two-lugmetal cap for sealing the container, the two cap lugs extending inwardlyfrom the lower edge of the cap skirt, and the lower edge portion of thecap skirt between the lugs extending inwardly and upwardly, a pair onlyof thread lugs formed on said neck, said thread lugs being oppositelydisposed, a pair only of centering lugs formed on said neck andextending beyond the thread lugs, the centering lugs having oppositelydisposed portions located substantially midway between the thread lugs,the centering lugs having operative faces at a lower level than thethread logs, the cap lugs cooperating with the thread lugs to draw thecap downwardly to sealing position on the container, and the inwardlyand upwardly extending portions of the cap cooperating with thecentering lugs to center the cap.

2. In combination, a glass container having a narrow neck, a two-lugmetal cap for sealing the container, the two cap lugs extending inwardlyfrom the lower edge of the cap skirt, and the lower edge portion of thecap skirt between the lugs extending inwardly and upwardly, a pair onlyof thread lugs formed on said neck, said thread lugs being oppositelydisposed, a pair only of centering lugs formed on said neck andextending beyond the thread lugs, the centering lugs having oppositelydisposed portions located substantially midway between the thread lugs,the centering lugs having operative faces at a lower level than thethread lugs, and the leading end of at least one of the centering lugsbeing disposed adjacent the rear end of one of the thread lugs, toprovide a stop, the cap lugs cooperating with the thread lugs to drawthe cap downwardly to sealing position on the container, one of the caplugs adapted to engage said stop, and the inwardly and upwardlyextending portions of the cap cooperating with the centering lugs tocenter the cap.

3. In combination, a glass container having a narrow neck, and a two-lugmetal cap for sealing the container, the two cap lugs extending inwardlyfrom the lower edge of the cap skirt, and an incurled bead at the loweredge of the cap skirt between the lugs, a pair only of thread lugsformed on said neck, said thread lugs being oppositely disposed, a paironly of centering lugs formed on said neck and extending beyond thethread lugs, the centering lugs having oppositely disposed portionslocated substantially midway between the thread lugs, the centering lugshaving operative faces at a lower level than the thread lugs, the caplugs cooperating with the thread lugs, and the incurled bead on the capcooperating with the centering lugs.

4. In combination, a glass container having a narrow neck, and a two-lugmetal cap for sealing the container, the two cap lugs extending inwardlyfrom the lower edge of the cap skirt, and the lower edge portion of thecap skirt between the lugs extending inwardly and upwardly, a pair onlyof oppositely disposed thread lugs formed on said neck, each of saidthread lugs having an inclined portion followed by a horizontal portion,a pair only of centering lugs iormed on said neck and extending beyondthe horizontal portions of the thread lugs, the centering lugs havingoppositely disposed portions located substantially midway between thethread lugs, the centering lugs having operative faces at a lower levelthan the thread lugs, and the leading end of at least one of thecentering lugs disposed adjacent the rear end of the horizontal portionof one of the thread lugs, to provide a stop, the cap lugs cooperatingwith the thread lugs to draw the cap downwardly to sealing position onthe container, one of the cap lugs adapted to engage the stop, and theinwardly and upwardly extending portions of the cap cooperating with thecentering lugs to center the cap.

DANIEL M. GRAY. JOSEPH BAUMAN.

